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Opinion: 2024 is the Year of the JRPG

2024 has seen plenty of great games, but I’ve found myself primarily playing JRPGs. Defined by diverse characters, character progression, narrative depth, distinct Japanese art styles, and epic boss battles, JRPGs come in many forms. While some titles like Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Dragon’s Dogma might not fit the conventional definition, they embody the spirit of the genre. 2024 has been exceptional for JRPGs, with standout releases like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Persona 3: Reload, Unicorn Overlord, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Metaphor: ReFantazio, marking it as the genre’s standout year.

The JRPG Decline

To understand this resurgence, we need to go back to the late 2000s and early 2010s. During this era, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 dominated the market, but Japanese games were struggling to keep up with Western titles like Call of Duty, Gears of War, Halo, Mass Effect, Uncharted, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and annualized sports games. JRPGs like Final Fantasy, Persona, Tales of, and Dragon Quest weren’t in the spotlight. Keiji Inafune, a veteran Capcom designer, candidly put it during a 2010 interview with The New York Times, “Japan is at least five years behind.” His words reflected the sentiment of the time, as he added, “I think Japanese gaming is dead.”

Inafune wasn’t entirely wrong. There were some standout titles from Japan between 2005-2013, such as Tales of Vesperia, Lost Odyssey, Valkyria Chronicles, Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Ni No Kuni. But there were also underwhelming releases like Final Fantasy XIII, The Last Remnant, Resonance of Fate, Resident Evil 6, Lost Planet II, and Dark Void. During this time, Japan was trying to emulate Western video games, most notoriously with Final Fantasy XIII. In a 2010 interview with Eurogamer, Final Fantasy XIII director Motomu Toriyama said, “we took more inspiration from [first-person shooter] games like Call of Duty and Halo…those games seem to present a very real-time, tense atmosphere on the battlefield where the player gets involved in the fighting…that’s the kind of thing that we looked at more intensely.”

This also explains why Final Fantasy XIII was so linear compared to the more open nature of its predecessor, Final Fantasy XII. Toriyama explains that this was because they were trying to get more Western players into the game, and the linear structure would help them learn the game’s systems. Ultimately, Final Fantasy XIII remains one of the more controversial in the franchise, and for some reason Square Enix wound up developing two sequels to it, and a third which eventually became Final Fantasy XV.

There’s also the perception that “JRPG” is a derogatory term. During the 2023 promotional cycle for Final Fantasy XVI, producer Naoki Yoshida addressed this in an interview with YouTuber SkillUp, as reported by PushSquare. Yoshida noted, “We are just creating RPGs…the term felt discriminatory when it first emerged 15 years ago.” His frustration is understandable—many Western outlets criticized Japanese games in ways that were often unfair and at times, frankly, racist. For many of us, however, the term “JRPG” symbolizes a unique, high-quality RPG experience with a distinct Japanese style. It’s a label of pride, not an insult.

The JRPG Resurgence

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when JRPGs made their comeback, but the shift likely started in the middle of the 2010s. Titles like Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (2011), The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (2013), and Persona 4: Golden (2012) signaled the start of a turnaround. The “Golden Age” we’re experiencing now arguably began with the Western release of Persona 5 in 2017, which was Atlus’s true breakout moment in the West. Fast-forward to today, and Atlus’s latest release, Metaphor: ReFantazio, set a new company record on October 11th by selling one million copies in its first day on the market.

Recent notable JRPGs include Final Fantasy XVI, Tales of Arise, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, Octopath Traveler II, Shin Megami Tensei V, Nier Automata, and Elden Ring. Even smaller Western developers are attempting to capture the JRPG magic, as seen with Sea of Stars by Sabotage Studio and the upcoming Threads of Time by Riyo Studio.

The Year of the JRPG

Now back to 2024. The first major JRPG of the year, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, released on January 26. It earned an 89 on Metacritic and sold one million copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling entry in the series. Granblue Fantasy: Relink followed a few days later with similar success. Persona 3: Reload, a remake of the 2006 classic, arrived in early February, setting sales records for Atlus until Metaphor: ReFantazio surpassed it.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, released on February 29, has been a personal highlight for me. It’s currently my favorite game of the year and possibly one of my all-time favorites. In March, we saw releases like Unicorn Overlord, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, each of which sold well for their respective publishers. 

This summer saw Atlus re-release Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, a remaster of SMT V with new content. One week later, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree released, which, despite being DLC, is a legitimate Game of the Year contender due to its scope and quality. In late August, we got Visions of Mana, though its release was marred by layoffs at developer Ouka Studios. Despite mixed reviews, it remains on my to-play list.

Metaphor: ReFantazio, which released recently, combines the best of the Persona franchise with a new high-fantasy setting. It’s a clear contender for Game of the Year, alongside Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Astro Bot. While Astro Bot isn’t a JRPG, all three games share one thing in common: they were developed in Japan. 

Why JRPGs Matter

In my opinion, over the last few years Japan has reclaimed its place at the forefront of gaming, delivering some of the industry’s highest-quality titles in recent years. There was a time where some Japanese studios were trying to chase what was popular and successful in the West, but in the end, I think many of these teams realized that what made their games special was their distinct identity. After all, companies like Nintendo, Sega, and Sony practically invented video games as we know them today. And in the year 2024, we’ve seen many Western gaming companies chasing each other trying to release the next big live-service banger, but maybe they need to look to the East, because I think the West could learn a lot from what makes Japanese games, and specifically JRPGs, so special. 

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